Unity in Action

In Acts 2:44 it says that the church had "everything in common." That sounds a little bit like a cult doesn't it? Did they wear all the same clothes, have all the same haircut, and live all together in a commune? Hardly...they were not defined by any of these outward things. Read this excerpt from The Epistle To Diognetes from the year 150 AD:“For the Christians are distinguished from the other men neither by country, no language, nor the customs from which they observe. They do not lead a life which is marked by any singularity.”

In other words, they did not have uniformity. They were not known by a certain custom, or a language, or certain race. What set them apart was how they came together despite all their diversity. Just in the 12 man group called, the disciples, there were fisherman, a tax collector, a politician, and a doctor. They were not raised the same, did not have the same histories, did not do the same jobs, nor had the same level of education. What brought these guys together was the mission.

What brings a professional basketball team together made up of guys from different countries, different backgrounds, and different skill sets...the pursuit of a championship!

What brings a together men and women of different races, economic backgrounds, and parts of the country...a desire to fight for the same mission!

What brings together a group of all different stripes to give up so much for a mission...the church!

The early church was filled with different languages...read Acts 2 when the apostles were allowed to speak in the many different langugages of the people. Philip baptized an Ethiopian man...two different skin colors colliding. Peter had to realize that Jews and Gentiles could worship and do life together when he went to Cornelius' house in Acts 10. Peter realized that the only thing God cared about was the heart of the person.

But what really brings people together is a cause. It might be a sports championship, a business venture, or a church mission, but we need a cause. We need a reason to rally around each other.

I love the church for a lot of reasons, but one of the big reasons is that it brings people together. We all have our own stories, but we come together to tell the greatest story ever told...the Gospel.